Securing device for chairs.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN JACOB ASTOR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SECURING- DEVICE FOR CHAIRS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN JACOB Asron, aI citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Securing Device for Chairs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Many people in crossing the ocean have experienced inconvenience by reason of the fact that the cha-irs in the saloon and cardrocms are rigidly secured to the floor. The chairs are secured at such a distance from the tables that they will accommodate persons of very ample proportions, so that when a comparatively thin person occupies a chair, he finds it necessary to sit merely on the edge, for should he endeavor to lean back in the chair, he finds himself too far from the table.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the chair may be firmly secured to the floor at any point desired, or may be readily and quickly released to permit it to be moved about.

My improved holding means includes a suction or vacuum cup supported beneath the chair and adapted to engage with the floor, and provided with suitable means for operating it to make or break the vacuum, to secure or release the chair.

The invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair constructed in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the chair, the vacuum cup and its operating parts being shown in section.

My improved holding means may be used in connection with various different kinds of chairs, as said means does not involve any of the essential features of the chair.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated a chair in which there is a base portion 10 and a revolving seat 11. The seat is suitably upholstered and is provided with a back and arms 12. The base 10 includes a plurality of legs 13, rigidly con- Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led October 14, 1909.

Patented June 14, 1910.

serial No. 522,548.

nected to an upper plate member 14, which latter rotatably supports the chair bottom 11. For holding the legs 13 rigid in respect to each other at their lower ends, there is provided a lower plate member 15, through which each and all of the legs extend. The lower plate member 15 is provided with acentral aperture 16 therein, and within which is mounted my improved vacuum cup 17. The plate 15 serves to partially conceal the cup, and as the edges of the opening come adjacent the periphery of the cup, the plate serves to additionally hold or limit the movement of the cup after the vacuum is partly lost. The cup is substantially hemi-spherical, with its lower or free edge adapted to engage with the floor, and with means connected to the upper or central portion for operating the cup to make or break the vacuum. This means, as illustrated, includes a vertically-movable rod 18, slidable within the collar 19 of a spider 20, and adapted to move vertically through said collar. The rod lis provided with gear teeth in one side thereof, and the spider serves to support a pinion 21, by the rotation of which the rod is raised or lowered. The pinion is mounted on a shaft 22, which eX- tends out from beneath the chair bottom, and is provided with a suitable handle 23, for rotating the same.

To operate my improved device, it is merely necessary to turn the handle 23, so as to lower the rod 18 and depress or flatten the vacuum cup. This forces the air out from beneath the cup, so that when the handle is turned in the reverse direction to raise the cup, a partial vacuum will be created within the cup, and the latter will thus be prevented from sliding about on the floor. vWith the chair on a deck, hard-wood floor, or' rubber tiling, the vacuum will hold for an indefinite time, but it may be broken at any time by a depressing of the cup. With the cup raised out of engagement with the floor, it will not interfere in any way with the free movement of the chair.

The chair is especially designed for use on board ship, where it is necessary that the chairs be normally secured in place to prevent them from sliding about, although it is, of course, evident that the device could be used in various other places where it is desired to detachably secure a chair or other object in position.

Having thus described my invention, I

gagement with the Hoor, a -vertically-movable rod connected to the upper portion-of said cup, and aracl: `and pinion orraisingv and lowering said rod and cup.

2. A chair having a seat, a plurality of legs, a plate connecting said legs adjacent the floor and yhavinga central aperture, a vacuum cup mounted within said aperture and adapted -to engage with the floor, and means for engagement with the Aupper portionof said cup for raising and lowering the same, Vto create a partial vacuum therein.

3. A Chair having a seatfa plurality of legs, a plate connecting said legs adjacent the floor and having a central aperture, a vacuum Cup mounted within said aperture and adapted to engage with the floor, a rod extendingupwardly from said cup and having rack teeth at one side thereof, a pinion in engagement with said teeth, ashaft supporting said pinion, and a handle atthe outer end of said pinion for rotating the same.

In testimony whereof 'I have signed my name to this s pecilieation in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN JACOB A'STQR.

Witnesses:

v'CLAIR W. FAIRBANK, PHILIP l. RoLLi-IAUS. 

